I'm still developing a proper jumpshot. I am very inconstant at shooting, especially from the 3PT line. Does anyone have tips on how I should shoot the ball better? My hands aren't all that big, are people with smaller hands meant to shoot a basketball?

I was not a good shooter growing up. I had the classic chicken wing elbow. But it worked for me to a degree. I was very good shooting off balance. Floating and drifting type shots around the hoop I was great at, and I'm talking like 8-12 years old. None of us were strong enough to really be shooting from much distance anyway.

I've talked about my father coaching me on here before, he was not a basketball guy at all, but he's a mechanical oriented kind of guy, and he did all types of reading and started working on getting my elbow in pretty early. I fought it, in part because I was a petulant little shit, but also because I had a legit issue. In order to get my elbow in, it blocked my view of the the hoop.
But by 5th grade or so, I was starting to do it. And then I started seeing the logic behind it. The straighter your elbow is in, the more true your shot will be, with less variance left to right based on release. It's just one variable that you can get under control with technique. I know there are guys who did fine without it, like Reggie Miller, but that doesn't mean that getting right doesn't make sense, and won't help the overwhelming majority of players (the I've been doing it this way forever and it's comfortable arguement can drive me crazy. I'll buy it if you're getting results, and by results I mean a trueness left to right, not "getting buckets", one could always get better).

Anyway, I wasn't that strong at that age. I didn't really hit a growth spurt until going into my sophmore year. So to compensate for a lack of strength, I wound up putting the ball out front to much, so I could really push it. I was streaky. My shot was a bit flat. I went through HS shooting mid to high 70s %wise from the FT line. My senior year I was over 80%. My three point shooting wasn't great, a little better than 25%. But again, I was streaky and was a threat.

When I got to college, that's when I put on a little more weight. As a walk on I wasn't playing as much, and college has other things that may cause you to put on weight. I was always a dense kinda guy. Even in HS my senior year I was playing PG at 195. In college I got up to about 210. But more than that, I had time to screw around more in a gym. It wasn't always playing pickup. I could just go shoot. I got my release point higher. I had a friend in HS that shot from way behind his head like Larry Bird, and I liked it, so I started copying him. But he was one of those gifted shooters. But by copying an extreme, I was able to settle into a comfortable position. My left arm is probably still a little tighter than most people would consider ideal. I got my shot up thinking of something my father thought to tell me, "shoot it like you're in a phone booth", and later he build a blockade out of a batting practice pitching net, that forced me to get it up some. But my shot got downright good. I had range out to probably 3 feet beyond the NBA three point line that, while maybe not at a great percentage, I could still "shoot my shot", and not adjust it.
The thing that I still, at 36 years old, work on, and I was just doing this in an empty gym before a Saturday morning pick up game a month ago, is that I've always been a ball watcher. I track the flight of the ball, and don't focus on the rim. I was always taught to watch the rim, but it's just not my instinct. It may be way I've always been good off balance, not because I don't watch the rim, but guys that do it "properly" and watch the rim, probably are bothered more when their body's drift during a shot. For me it never mattered. And I was always an excellent passer, and I think part of that is that I could still scan the floor where a more pure shooter might catch and immediately lock on the rim. I don't know. Those are just theory's. But I still will warm up trying to focus on the rim. It's something I truely believed in after going to play pool, and having someone tell me to focus on the ball I'm hitting at, not the cue ball I'm hitting, and getting a lot better at that.

I'm still developing a proper jumpshot. I am very inconstant at shooting, especially from the 3PT line. Does anyone have tips on how I should shoot the ball better? My hands aren't all that big, are people with smaller hands meant to shoot a basketball?

My tip is don't try to imitate some other players. What they are doing works for them and not necessarily for you.

Even if your shot is not aesthetically pleasing as Ray Allen's, work on the mechanics that most comfortable, most efficient, and most successful to you even if it looks "dorky."

Personally I found coach Hal Wissel to be useful. Even at my advanced age of 34 and after 20 years of practicing, I managed to crack the code for decent shooting. He has 2 channels. My guess he uploaded some videos. He forgot the password and started a new channel:

The one handed in the key drop the ball, catch it with one hand, rotate it up, and shoot it, progressively moving back, was a good drill for me. Doing it one handed forces you to keep that shooting elbow square, otherwise the ball will fall out of your hand.

My tip is don't try to imitate some other players. What they are doing works for them and not necessarily for you.

Even if your shot is not aesthetically pleasing as Ray Allen's, work on the mechanics that most comfortable, most efficient, and most successful to you even if it looks "dorky."

Probably two of the biggest mistakes young players make (and I'm sure I made) is starting out to far from the hoop and copying NBA players. Start close so your forced to shoot up. Always finish with your elbow above your eyes and work on proper form.

If you watch players like Allen or Kobe you'll notice their forms aren't picture perfect but they can shoot thousands of shots a day with a rebounder

Personally, i just watched Ray Allen. He has the closest thing to a perfect textbook jumpshot! I practice shooting from the free throw line ( make at least 50 shots), then i do around the world. After that, i just shoot around. :)

1.You have to use your imagination. visualize yourself shooting before you do on any spot on the court then go and shoot it.

2.You have to do it over and over again..until your muscle memory gets sharpened.

3.Practice alone, experiment with different forms until you feel comfortable.

4. It's all in the wrists,make sure to followthru after your shot

5. Use your off hand a lot for lay ups,dribbles,shooting close to the basket. Control of Your off hand and left side of your body is what keeps your squared with the basket and gives you balance and helps you with symmetry.

6.Bend your knees and get positioned with your feet,jump..

7. Delude yourself into believing that every time you shoot the ball it must go in as if its a fact or already happened. If you miss its an error and it wasn't supposed to happen. Trust me this works. Eventually you access a certain part of your mind that will make sure the ball goes in just like it makes sure your poop goes into your toilet... weird concept and i'm exaggerating obviously but it works for me.

eccentric advice from me I suppose but it's better than some generic answer...enjoy. Just believe in yourself after you have mastered the fundementals..goodluck

Yes people with small hands can shoot a basketball. I have dwarf palms. NEVER seen someone with smaller palms then me whos same height or taller. Yet im one of the better shooters.

Practice shooting from nearer to the basketball and slowly go out when you develop your range. Square your body to the rim, Use power from the legs and convert it to a shooting motion (It has to be smooth not jerky if not youre doing it wrong). Flick your wrists to shoot the ball and visualise the ball going in.

Of course, very hard to put all into words and alot depends on feel and muscle memory. Good luck, just practice to you get the hang of it.